Ja. Jellison et Ra. Duke, THE MENTAL-RETARDATION LABEL - MUSIC TEACHERS AND PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS EXPECTATIONS FOR CHILDRENS SOCIAL AND MUSIC BEHAVIORS, The Journal of music therapy, 31(3), 1994, pp. 166-185
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of the labe
l ''mental retardation'' on teachers' and prospective teachers' expect
ations for children entering their music classrooms. Subjects (N = 336
) were university music education majors (n = 92), elementary educatio
n majors (n = 95) and public school elementary music teachers (n = 139
). Subjects were presented a hypothetical scenario in which they, as t
eachers, were permitted to admit or not admit students to their music
class based on students' music and social skills. Subjects rated lists
of 25 music behaviors and 25 social behaviors, indicating the degree
to which they considered it important for potential new students to ha
ve learned each behavior prior to being admitted to class (i.e., the e
xtent to which they considered each behavior a ''prerequisite to admis
sion''). Subjects gave ratings for two hypothetical third graders, one
identified as ''retarded'' and the other identified as having no know
n disabilities. In general, subjects expressed a greater willingness t
o teach music behaviors than to teach social behaviors; that is, subje
cts in all three groups rated social behaviors as more important for a
new student to have learned prior to entering their classroom, irresp
ective of whether the student was labeled as having retardation. There
were significant multivariate differences between the labeled and non
labeled student categories and among the three respondent groups. Acro
ss all respondents, both music and social behaviors were considered mo
re important prerequisites for the nonlabeled student than for the stu
dent with retardation. Experienced teachers expressed a greater willin
gness overall to teach music behaviors to a labeled or a nonlabeled st
udent entering their classrooms than was expressed by either of the pr
ospective teacher groups.